Archive for October, 2014

The weather in October can be very nice, and extended periods of dry weather are common this month. The weather this weekend will be absolutely gorgeous with sun filled days and clear cool nights. Wind speeds have decreased as the large low pressure system that brought rain and windy conditions this past week has finally moved out to sea. The dry weather should last until Thursday and warmer temperatures are expected by mid-week. As it looks right now, a frontal system may bring a chance of showers on Thursday. Let’s hope that that the frontal system moves through in time for Halloween, which is next Friday. The tropical Atlantic is quiet again. That’s it for now. Enjoy the great fall weather!

Hurricane Gonzalo, which was the strongest hurricane in the Atlantic Basin since 2011, made a direct hit on Bermuda Friday night. I heard a report on the news that a peak wind gust of over 140 MPH occurred as the eye wall moved right over the tiny island. Power is out to most of the island. The category 2 storm is now moving away from Bermuda and conditions have rapidly improved. The only impact from this storm here in Hampton Roads was an increased rip current threat and larger swells than normal, around 4 feet. It was once a category 4 storm so Bermuda is a bit fortunate that it weakened somewhat. However, I read a report that the storm’s wind field expanded, which resulted in a longer period of hurricane force winds… Our weather this weekend will be nearly perfect. Saturday should turn out to be the warmest day as a cold front is going to move through the region later Saturday. It’s a relatively dry front so not much precipitation is expected. A brief sprinkle or shower cannot be ruled out Saturday evening. We will most likely stay dry until Tuesday as another frontal system will be approaching. There may be some showers by mid-week, but at this time, rain chances don’t seem to be that high. Speaking of rain, the frontal system that moved through our region last Wednesday did not bring that much rain to my neighborhood. Only a tenth of an inch of rain fell in my backyard. That’s it for now. Enjoy this beautiful fall weekend!

The weather today (Monday) should be very nice with warmer temperatures than what we saw on Sunday. Winds were out of the north and northeast on Sunday but they have now switched direction to more of a southeasterly direction, hence the warmer temperatures. This is a result of the high pressure system that was to our north moving further off the coast. A rather deep trough in the middle of the country is producing severe weather in some areas along with heavy downpours. This system will slowly move eastward over the next few days. By Wednesday afternoon, we should start seeing showers move into the region, especially our westernmost areas. Rain chances should increase Wednesday night along with a chance of thunderstorms in some spots. Currently, weather forecasters aren’t sure whether we will see severe weather in our region so stay tuned for the latest on that. We should see improving conditions on Thursday. The end of the week should be nice with seasonal temperatures… The tropical Atlantic has become active with Tropical Storm Fay impacting Bermuda over the weekend and newly formed Tropical Storm Gonzalo now forecast to become a hurricane. Fay is moving out into the North Atlantic and will only be a concern for shipping interests. However, Gonzalo may be more of a serious threat as it is expected to grow into a powerful hurricane. The islands in the northeast Caribbean are being impacted now but the island of Bermuda needs to pay close attention to this storm. The frontal system/trough that is going to impact our weather on Wednesday will most likely play a role in Gonzalo’s eventual track. Please monitor the National Hurricane Center’s website along with the local media for the latest advisories on this storm. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

The sound of heavy rain woke me up this morning. An area of rain moved through most of Hampton Roads and dumped about a third of an inch of rain in my backyard. A quasi-stationary frontal boundary will make for a rather difficult forecast this weekend. Although the rain has moved off the coast this morning, another round of showers are possible this afternoon. Temperatures in your neighborhood will be highly dependent on the exact position of the front and, of course, cloud cover. The front is expected to move south of the area on Sunday, which should result in improving conditions. North to northeasterly winds should make Sunday a cooler day. A light shower or sprinkle cannot be ruled out on Sunday. A stronger trough and frontal system will approach the region on Tuesday bringing another chance of showers and possibly thunderstorms… Sub-tropical storm Fay has formed south of Bermuda. The storm is expected to move north and then northeast staying well offshore. Please see my Weather Fact “What is a Sub-Tropical Storm” in the Weatherdudes.com site. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading and have a great day!

A cool air mass moved into the Mid-Atlantic States on Saturday. I was up in Charlottesville, VA and it was an absolutely beautiful day. It was what I call “football weather”. The cold front did not produce much rainfall in my neighborhood. I only picked up a trace of rain early Saturday morning. Temperatures this morning (Sunday) were very chilly. It was in the upper forties in Virginia Beach. Temperatures should peak out in the mid-sixties this afternoon with plenty of sunshine. The high pressure area responsible for the fall like weather will move off the east coast on Monday. This will turn our wind direction to the southwest, which will bring in warmer temperatures. Temperatures should remain seasonal this week or slightly above seasonal levels. No significant precipitation is expected through Thursday. A frontal system may bring a chance of showers/rain next weekend… The tropical Atlantic is quiet today. Aside from the storm that hit on July 4th weekend (Arthur), we did not see any other threats from the tropics. As the Atlantic hurricane season slowly winds down, let’s hope that we see no surprises. However, keep in mind that hurricane season officially ends on November 30th. That’s it for now. Thanks for reading.